Dawson Creek

city in Peace River Regional District, British Columbia, Canada

Dawson Creek is a small town (11,000 in town, 60,000 in the area) in the Peace Country and Northern Rockies region of British Columbia, best known for being mile zero on the Alaska Highway, which is the southeastern terminus of that highway.

Downtown Dawson Creek and the Alaska Hwy Mile Zero monument.

Understand

Dawson Creek is in the dry and windy prairie land of the Peace River Country. As the seat of the Peace River Regional District and a service centre for the rural areas south of the Peace River, the city has been called the "Capital of the Peace". It is also known as the "Mile 0 City", referring to its location at the southern end of the Alaska Highway.

Unlike most of the province, the city and its region use Mountain Standard Time (UTC−07:00) all year round, since the area already has long daylight hours in the summer and short daylight hours in the winter. In other words, residents of the region never change their clocks – Pacific Daylight Time is used during the spring, summer and early fall, and Mountain Standard Time during the late fall and winter.

History

Dawson Creek derives its name from the creek of the same name that runs through the community. The creek was named after George Mercer Dawson by a member of his land survey team when they passed through the area in August 1879. Once a small farming community, Dawson Creek became a regional centre after the western terminus of the Northern Alberta Railways was extended there in 1932. The community grew rapidly in 1942 as the US Army used the rail terminus as a transshipment point during construction of the Alaska Highway. In the 1950s, the city was connected to the interior of British Columbia via a highway and railway through the Rocky Mountains. Since the 1960s, growth has slowed.

Climate

In the summer, the city is often dusty and arid; temperatures during the day are warm, but cool at night, typically falling below 10 °C (50 °F). Highs reaching 30 °C (86 °F) occur only twice per year on average. Heavy rain showers are sporadic, lasting only a few minutes. In the winter, the city can get bitterly cold and dry, with 17 to 18 days of −30 °C (−22 °F) lows per year. It is subject to very strong winds year round.

Get in

By bus

  • BC Bus North, ☏ +1-844-564-7494. Provide bus service on the following routes:. (updated Apr 2021)
    • Between Prince George and Fort St. John twice per week with stops in Mackenzie, Chetwynd, Dawson Creek, and Taylor. Travel time to Dawson Creek from Fort St. John is 1 hours and from Prince George is 6.5 hours. Fare is $48.
    • Between Dawson Creek and Fort Nelson once per week with stops in Taylor and Fort St. John. Travel time to Dawson Creek from Fort St. John is 1 hours and from Prince George is 6.75 hours. Fare is $49.
  • Cold Shot, ☏ +1 587-557-7719, . Bus service from Monday to Friday between Fort St. John and Grande Prairie with stops in Dawson Creek, Hythe, and Beaverlodge. Travel time to Dawson Creek from Fort St. John 1 hour and from Grand Prairie is 2 hours. Also offers bus service between Grande Prairie and Edmonton. (updated Feb 2021)

By plane

There are larger airports in Fort St. John and Grande Prairie that have more comprehensive flight schedules.

By car

See also: Driving between the contiguous United States and the Alaska HighwayAvailable highways:

Get around

By public transit

By taxi

By car

Dawson Creek's road network generally follows a grid pattern around large blocks of land. Because the grid contains many internal intersections with stop signs, traffic is forced onto two arterial roads: 8 Street going north–south and Alaska Avenue going southeast–northwest. These two roads meet at a traffic circle where a metal statue marks the beginning of the Alaska Highway.

See

Dawson Creek Art Gallery located in a renovated grain elevator.
  • 🌍 Dawson Creek Art Gallery, 816 Alaska Ave, ☏ +1 250-782-2601. Jun 15-Aug 31: daily 8AM-5PM; Sep 1-Jun 14: Tu-F 10AM-5PM, Sa noon-4PM. It is housed in a renovated annex of a prairie grain elevator, in NAR Park in the center of Dawson Creek. It features local, regional and touring exhibitions year round. Gift shop. (updated Jun 2018)
  • Down Town Mural Project. Each mural represents some aspect of the building of the Alaska Highway. The murals were designed to enhance the alleyways of the downtown core and to provide an interesting experience for visitors to the community. (updated Jun 2018)

Monuments

  • 🌍 Mile '0' of the Alaska Highway (10 St & 102 Ave, downtown Dawson Creek). (updated May 2020)
Alaska Highway monument at Northern Alberta Railway Park.
  • 🌍 Start Alaska Highway (Northern Alberta Railway Park, near Hwy 2/49 Jct). (updated May 2020)

Do

Learn

Buy

Dawson Mall has some local stores but offers limited goods. Local tourist office where you can buy souvenirs of Alaska Highway and Dawson Creek is located in downtown Dawson Creek, across the Bank of Montreal.

Eat

  • 🌍 Stuie's Diner, 10516 8 St. M-F 8AM-8PM, Sa 10AM-8PM. 1950s themed diner. (updated Jun 2018)
  • 🌍 Fixx Urban Grill, 512 Highway 2 (next to the Stonebridge Hotel), ☏ +1 250-782-3006. Su-Th 11AM-11PM, F Sa 11AM-midnight. Eclectic menu: Asian and Mexican Fusion, steaks and made-in-house burgers. Gluten-free options. (updated Jun 2018)
  • 🌍 Le's Family Restaurant, 801 111 Ave, ☏ +1 250-782-1020. M-Sa 7AM-8PM, Su 7AM-2PM. Diner. (updated Jun 2018)

Drink

The drinking age in BC is 19.

Sleep

There are plenty of hotels, lodges, and RV parks in Dawson Creek. Late spring to summer is peak season where many people visit the city as the beginning of their trip to the Alaska Highway.

Cope

Go next

Fort St. John and Grande Prairie are bigger cities around, where travel time to go to each city takes about 90 min by car.

Routes through Dawson Creek
ENDS at ←  W  E  → becomes → Grande Prairie → Edmonton
ENDS at ←  W  E  → becomes → Jct N S → Falher → Valleyview
Whitehorse ← Fort St. John ←   N  S  → Chetwynd → Prince George


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